New directions in information access

With the development of Web 2.0 and information technologies, new models of production, distribution and consumption of information have emerged. This study examines the changes undergone in information access for both general users and information professionals. The study’s approach is informed by Kuhn’s contention regarding the priority of paradigms, in which neophyte professionals will adopt emerging practices without questioning their causes or origins. This hypothesis is tested by way of Rifkin’s postulates on the network economy and those proffered by Vargas Llosa regarding the metamorphosis of written culture for the network. The results presented are derived from the project papiit it 312 400 Digital Library in library science and information studies.